Friesen, C. H. (1859-1956)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1956 Apr 5 p. 6

Birth date: 1859 Dec 10

text of obituary:

. . .

— As the Review goes to press Wednesday afternoon word is received that the aged C. H. Friesen died rather unexpectedly at the Mercy Hospital in Moundridge. He had been mostly bedfast for several weeks. A pioneer immigrant from Russia in the year 1879, he passed his 96th birthday last December.

---

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1956 Apr 19 p. 8

text of obituary:

C. H. FRIESEN

C. H. Friesen, our father, son of Henry B. and Helena Duerksen Friesen, was born Dec. 10, 1859, in the village Alexanderthal in South Russia, and departed this life on April 4, 1956, at the age of 96 eyars [sic], three months and 24 days. He was the oldest of 13 children, of whom three died in early childhood.

In 1879 the family migrated to America settling near Hillsboro. On August 15, 1880, he was baptized on confession of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by Elder Jacob Buller and received into the Alexanderwohl church.

When a preparatory school was opened in Emmenthal and later moved to Halstead, he attended this, graduating with the first class to complete the prescribed course. In this way he made the acquaintance of our mother, Helena Schmidt, at the home of whose parents he boarded that firs school year. On June 20, 1886, they were married, and together shared joys and sorrows for over 58 years. With much joy and thanksgiving they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1936. After eight more years, mother was called from his side to her heavenly home.

At first they made their home in the Alexanderwohl community on a small farm, while father also taught school for some years. Later during winter months he sold many hundreds of good books.

After moving to the Buhler community in 1902 our parents transferred their church membership to the Hoffnungsau church. Later they became charter members of the Buhler Mennonite church when that was organized.

Father always had an interest in national and international events, but especially in community and church affairs — the Lord's work and the spiritual life and welfare of the church being very near and dear to his heart. He supported and actively helped promote every endeavor that promised to help the spiritual life: Christian education, Bible knowledge and missions. He thus helped to start the former German Teachers' Association of Kansas and the Sunday school work in his early home church.

Persistent reading and study of the Bible and the use of expositions of outstanding Bible scholars gave him a comprehensive grasp of its message and clearness of insight into its teachings. The Bible doctrine concerning the person and work of the Holy Spirit was but one of the teachings that thus became precious to him. Concerning his salvation he had full assurance, trusting firmly in God's power to keep his own.

Rather early in life he began to write correspondences and articles for German papers, of late also occasionally for English periodicals. This won for him many unexpected friendships and led also to a somewhat unusual personal correspondence. He loved people and enjoyed meeting them, making acquaintances quite readily. He enjoyed going to conferences and other meetings.

To us he was a good father with a deep concern for our wellfare [sic], especially spiritually. He lived a life of prayer, interceding daily for his children and grandchildren, burdened lest any should stay behind and fail to reach the heavenly home. That five of his grandchildren are serving as missionaries or in other full-time Christian work was a source of much joy to him, and he prayed much for these. The increasing worldliness, indifference, formalism, materialism, and modernistic unbelief among Christians deeply grieved him, so he prayed much for missions and missionaries, for his church and its institutions and their spiritual wellbeing.

Father had not been altogether without sickness in his life, yet on the whole enjoyed good health most of the time. he never shirked his work, finding inactivity hard to endure. About two years ago he had to submit to an operation, and though recovering, his former vigor never quite returned. There was a growing and repeatedly expressed desire in him to depart and be with the Lord. This his wish has now been fulfilled.

He leaevs [sic] to mourn his departure all of his six children and their families: Karl of Newton, Peter of Dodge City, Henry C. and Pauline, Mrs. J. K. Froese of Buhler, Adolph of Goshen, Ind., Cornelius B. of Newton; two sisters, Mrs. Anna Schmidt, Newton, and Mrs. David Fast, Walton; three brothers, David H. and Jacob H., Reedley, Calif., and John H., Aberdeen, Idaho; 22 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends. Besides mother, an adopted daughter, Mary, Mrs. Jacob Unruh, two of her daughters, and two other grandchildren preceded him in death.

The Mennonite obituary: 1956 May 29 p. 360